Join Code.org CEO and founder Hadi Partovi and Sal Khan of Khan Academy for their fireside chat as they discuss about artificial intelligence (AI).

They will go over different areas and concerns of AI:

• What is AI?
• Why is it important to education?
• Educators Thoughts on AI
• Is using AI cheating?
• Biases, privacy concerns, and other challenges with AI
• What is Khanmigo?
• School Districts Banning AI
• How AI impacts the future role of educators?
• How AI impacts various industries?
• How AI supports administrative tasks?
• What skills do students need to learn?
• Where is AI going in the next 5 years?

At first glance, the phrase “teachers are heroes”, often paired with adjectives like “silent”, “true”, or “unsung” is an easy way to praise, thank, or sympathize with teachers for their never-ending work. But beneath the pretty words, hides a dark side to the oft-used phrase. In isolation, the phrase could have been used to convey the thankfulness of parents and students to a teacher. However, due to its frequent use in the professional world, the term “hero” has become almost synonymous to “sacrifice”. Teachers’ self sacrifice has become standardized, where they are expected to be constantly superhuman and vilified when they are not. In the end, teachers who are not able to keep up with the exhaustive constant self- sacrifice can feel inadequate. 

Not only does this expectation dehumanize teachers, it deflects attention from the underlying issues that teachers are currently propping up with their health; mental, physical, and emotional. Why is it that we rely on the overburdened teachers to hold the line when the federal, state, and local governments fail to provide the resources and funding that schools need to fulfill their basic academic purpose and then also be social service providers?

Teachers shouldn’t be martyrs for just wanting to educate their students and give them the tools to succeed in life.

For more information, please check out this post: The problem with teachers as heroes

A bill of incredible value to the education of K-12 in digital literacy has entered the U.S. House of Representatives. Presented by a bipartisan party, it will soon be placed before the Committee on Education and the Workforce to be voted on. If it passes, $10 million annually will be authorized for an extensive range of critical investments in data science education. It would help fund multiple educational initiatives such as teacher training, research partnerships, curriculum materials, educational access to STEM, and more.

Before the bill could even be written, many associations, partnerships, coalitions, organizations, and industry leaders had to agree on the importance of digital literacy. This bill proves the significance of digital literacy and data science for future generations. 

But this goes beyond digital literacy or even data science as the educational system is struggling with a lack of teachers, dealing with setbacks in academic achievements as everyone had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and while providing education for more specializations in Computer Science like cybersecurity, quantum computing, and more, and not lose sight of Computer Science education as the foundational step for these specializations and in digital literacy.

This bill is something that everyone has to keep supporting as the economy slowly pivots away from pandemic recovery to innovation. To make sure that there is no student left behind, no matter where they come from. 

For more information on National Data Literacy and to pledge your support, please read this article: Congress Acts: A Milestone for Building National Data Literacy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of growth of Computer Science (CS) education has significantly slowed. However, technology usage and support has risen to maintain people’s daily lives despite the restrictions of the pandemic.

While there is significant growth in comparison to 2018, the number of schools offering computer science has grown by only 2% during 2021.

Computer Science is a foundational subject that is highly important to the nation’s security and economy. In order to change this rate of growth, it must supported by state and federal policy. To ensure that students have equitable access to computer science education is to safeguard the students’ futures and the future of the nation.

For more information, please visit this infographic: 2022 State of Computer Science Education in Florida

A highly experienced superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, writes about the current state of Computer Science in K-12 schools.

A good national infrastructure is built on the foundations of a great education system. Only 51% of public high schools in the United States offer computer science courses. But it is not enough to only offer the courses. We must also increase accessibility to these classes, to encourage more students to take these courses. Computing jobs are on the rise yet the number of graduates in computer science is only a small percentage of the jobs available. The demand will continue to rise and it offers opportunities for underrepresented groups. Yet, those underrepresented groups are less likely to take the courses when they are offered. That is why we must increase accessibility, so that those who lack the connections to be employed in these fields can gain the employment that they seek.

It is not only those in the education field who are interested in this subject. Companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google, along with manufacturers like Nike, Starbucks and Walgreens signed the letter alongside of multiple teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calling on states to ensure that every K-12 student is given the opportunity to learn computer science.

For more information, please read the article: Our K-12 Students Cannot Wait Any Longer For Computer Science Education

One of the more well known problem in this day and age is that children are constantly focused on a screen. Screen time is increasingly becoming present in children’s and teens’ daily lives as schools incorporate more digital devices for use in the classroom. Too much screen time has been linked with a host of issues such as sleep disorders, obesity, and an entire range of mental health problems, tending to result in lower academic performance. It’s too easy for people to get addicted to what is on their screens. So, what can be done about this?

The article below has several points on this:

1. Not everything that has been replaced by technology has improved retention
2. Have a honest talk with kids regarding screen time
3. If you are concerned about the screen time in schools, talk to the teachers about it
4. It’s easy to lost track of time, but keeping track of screen time helps

For more information, please read the article: How I got my students to stop staring at screens

Two areas in computer science education that is worth expanding upon are AI and data science. But it is not only about making the topic taught in classes, it’s also about giving kids access to good resources to learn these subjects, improving professional development for their teachers, giving career counselors the resources that they need to direct students with interests in these fields to where they need to go, and more. This imperative was presented last month at the International Society for Technology by CSforALL, an education advocacy group.

The main points from Leigh Ann Delyser, CSforALL’s co-founder and executive director, are:

• Education in Computer Science can help the next generations handle major societal issues
• Students from all kinds of backgrounds should have a foundation in computer science
• Development on AI and data science has been in action for some time, now is the time to put those models to work in education
• It’s never too early to start teaching AI

For more information, please read the article: Why Computer Science Classes Should Double Down on AI and Data Science

In today’s world where artificial intelligence is seen as the path to future technological development, Break Through Tech invests $26 million to work with top AI programs being offered at Cornell Tech, MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing and UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering to help increase accessibility to undergraduate education in the field of artificial intelligence for students in the surrounding areas.

For more information, please read the article: Break Through Tech Announces $26 Million Investment to Increase the Number of Women in Artificial Intelligence

Break Through Tech partners with Florida International University’s College of Engineering and Computing Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences (KFSCIS) to develop programs to assist women and minority communities in getting degrees and careers in technology along with leadership positions in the field.

For more information, please read this article: FIU partners with Break Through Tech to increase diversity and gender equality in Miami’s tech ecosystem

Calling anyone who loves programming to the SOFLO CSTA Hackathon!

Organized by CSTAMiami and CSTAPBC/Broward, the hackathon welcomes teams of of 3 – 5 students from any schools located in the Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties.

Each team needs a mentor who can be a teacher or any trusted adult.

Competition Window: December 7 – 11, 2020

Sign up today at http://bit.ly/SoFloCSTAHackathon